Local Teacher Accepted into Prestigious Supreme Court Summer Institute

On May 7, Street Law Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers in Washington, D.C., announced that Mike Thomas, social studies teacher at Sheridan High School, will travel to Washington, D.C. this June to attend the prestigious Supreme Court Summer Institute.

After a highly competitive application process, 60 teachers were selected to participate this year. The Institute, open to teachers in the fields of law-related and civic education, is co-sponsored by Street Law, Inc. and the Supreme Court Historical Society.

Thomas shared how he learned about the program.

The Institute offers teachers the opportunity to study recent Supreme Court cases in detail and learn innovative teaching methods for conveying this information to students. Well-known Supreme Court lawyers, reporters, scholars, and educators will be among the speakers and instructors for the Institute. A recent evaluation of the Supreme Court Summer Institute found that, after the program, teachers who attended felt much more confident discussing controversial issues and Supreme Court cases in their classrooms; discussed Supreme Court cases and used interactive teaching strategies more frequently and gained critical knowledge about the U.S. Supreme Court.

He said he was excited about bringing back to his classroom what he would learn during his time at the Institute.

Upon returning home, teachers will be available to present workshops on teaching about the U.S. Supreme Court, and to meet with the media to discuss how the new skills and information will apply in their classrooms.

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